Distance Supervision: The PIDIB Model - Counselingoutfitters.com

Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS 2012
Safety includes physical and psychological safety and often resembles PTSD in
the client’s presentation. This, in fact, may be the most powerful of all issues and the
most difficult to treat.
Control refers to the clients feeling out of control, having no control, or being
controlled by others, and is a common issue. Substance abuse, for example, is an example
of a control issue.
Responsibility usually refers to guilt and shame in this model. With guilt the
action is the focus of evaluation whereas with shame, the self is always the focus of the
evaluation.
Self-esteem is part of an individual’s schemata and may have its roots in early
childhood. In any case, high self-esteem tends to make the individual feel good and it is a
common issue in counseling.
Reality testing refers to mental illness and usually requires medical intervention.
The burden of proof here is very low—you do not have to prove, you only have to
suspect—to make the referral. However, most clients with reality testing issues have
already been seen medically and may already be taking medication.
To determine if you need to make the referral, the counselor must ask the
following questions: Is the client hallucinating? Is the client delusional? Is the client
suicidal? Is the client homicidal? Is the client consuming toxic substances in a harmful
manner? A yes to any of these questions would suggest a reality testing problem.
Phase III: Dynamics refers to the session interactions between the counselor and
client. These dynamics often change within and between sessions and are often
unconscious in nature. However, dynamics determine the strength of the therapeutic
alliance. Good dynamics permit you to continue with treatment.
Phase IV: The Interventions phase is driven by stages I, II, and III. It empowers
the client by reflecting back on the issue(s) identified and permitting him/her to decide
the issue to work on and to begin the process of healing.
Phase V: The Bridge, or homework phase, connects sessions and strengthens
learning. It provides the client with therapeutic activities between formal sessions and,
again, empowers the client with control over therapy.
The PIDIB model fits into the cybersupervision protocol with the supervisor
asking the supervisee to identify the presenting problem(s), issues, and dynamics and
then asking about the client’s choice of issues and interventions used. Because the
presenting problems begin the session, all that follows must be reliable. That is, the
counselor confirms with the client if the issues are correctly identified and then asks
which issue the client would like to work on first. This client centered, client empowering
model allows the session to be focused and goal oriented. It allows the supervisor to
determine counselor effectiveness in both case conceptualization and treatment.
The PIDIB model is a natural match for cybersupervision because of its ease of
teaching and ease of learning within the context of clinical supervision. Supervisors must
be aware of what the client is actually experiencing and the direction of the counseling
process which the model efficiently provides. So far the response from supervisors has
been very encouraging.
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